Customer Reviews

From Ming to Ching: Conquest, Region and Continuity in Seventeenth Century China

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The essays in the book cover a turbulent period in late Chinese history. When the Manchus ended the Ming dynasty. The book treats the 17th century transition as one period. In contrast to earlier histories that often break the narrative at the changing of dynasties in 1644.

The sheer geographic size of China and the number of different peoples makes for a complex understanding. For example, one chapter discusses the role of Chinese Muslims in revolts in Central Asia. Sometimes, these were motivated by territorial grievances, but sometimes also overlaid by religious issues. The chapter points out that on occasion, the Chinese Muslims were aided by non-Chinese co-religionists from further west in Central Asia, and by Mongols.

Another chapter delves into the peripheral China of the coastal regions, and the maritime involvements of China with the Europeans, Japanese and Vietnamese. While perhaps peripheral to the main history of China, it was these activities that often affected how outsiders saw China.